Found it. Great writeup; thanks! That's another thing I can't make up my mind on, whether to do the PlastiDip Shadowline treatment to all the chrome on the car (already did it to the side & bumper trim pieces) or stick with the chrome look. I've already got plenty of aluminum tape on hand, so maybe I'll try that first. Looks easy!Jake D wrote:Hell, that looks fantastic!!
I did a write up on fixing the chrome lock strips with Aluminum Duct tape! Works great for super cheap!
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New Paint!
Thanks! That Mopar thread was where I got most of my info; the guy who threw the idea out there was 69chargeryeehaa (must like The Dukes of Hazard!) The thread is ungodly long and includes a lot of inane back & forth about who knows what, but I distilled things down and added some things I figured out by trial & error for the post I put on my blog.dino wrote:That came out terrific! I remember reading the thread that explained the roller paint trick some years back - I think on some late Sixties American sled (Charger, maybe?).
I also dig your avatar!
That avatar was a windshield washer spray head that was dangling from a box in my garage. I walked by it one day and it stopped me in my tracks; had to snap a photo of it (one reason I don't mind carrying a cell phone!)
Looks great. I just helped my brother roll his Volvo 240 Turbo wagon. I cannot believe how well it came out. I'll get some shots of it and post them. This is not as bad of an approach as a lot of people think. It's all about the sanding and polishing. I will be interested to see how it holds up after a year or so.
I suppose it's time for an update of sorts... It's been a few months, and the paint still looks good (as long as I can keep it clean anyway!) Still haven't done anything with the mirrors though. I plan to do the shiny aluminum tape to the window strips this weekend. Also need to put some wax on it before the snow flies.
I wanted to kick myself earlier this week; drove it out to the junkyard to pick a few parts for the 735 & ended up taking home a muffler for it. While trying to fit it into the trunk (it didn't) I bumped the paint on the top edge of the left quarter panel & put a nasty chip in the paint.
zmayne01: I look forward to seeing photos of your brother's Volvo... My wife thinks it's weird that two of my favorite cars are e28's and Volvo 200-series wagons. She still likes me though! And you're right about the sanding & polishing; that is the trick to doing paint like this.
I wanted to kick myself earlier this week; drove it out to the junkyard to pick a few parts for the 735 & ended up taking home a muffler for it. While trying to fit it into the trunk (it didn't) I bumped the paint on the top edge of the left quarter panel & put a nasty chip in the paint.

zmayne01: I look forward to seeing photos of your brother's Volvo... My wife thinks it's weird that two of my favorite cars are e28's and Volvo 200-series wagons. She still likes me though! And you're right about the sanding & polishing; that is the trick to doing paint like this.
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bimmerpowrd wrote:how does the finish have such a gloss to it? also, what did u reduce the rustoleum w/? looks good
Quick answer... Mad buffing skilz and mineral spirits. For the longer answer, here's a link to my blog where the whole process is laid out in excruciating detail.
Looks great when I take the time to wash, wax & buff it, but otherwise (like now, about a year after that was last done) it looks pretty dull. It still looks better than the crappy gray respray it covered up though, so that's a positive.SPF2006 wrote:Going back to an old thread -- how has this held up over time?

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It's definitely not a job for the faint of heart, nor if you don't have the space and time to dedicate to it. It's cheap materials-wise, but pretty time consuming.
I'd still like to have a go at it with some regular auto paint instead of the Rustoleum. The key is to thin the paint and put on several very thin coats, wet sanding after every other coat, and I don't see any reason that wouldn't work with something other than Rustoleum in the bucket. I've got a stray sunroof panel hanging around, and a buddy that works in an auto paint supply shop; I should give it a shot sometime...
I'd still like to have a go at it with some regular auto paint instead of the Rustoleum. The key is to thin the paint and put on several very thin coats, wet sanding after every other coat, and I don't see any reason that wouldn't work with something other than Rustoleum in the bucket. I've got a stray sunroof panel hanging around, and a buddy that works in an auto paint supply shop; I should give it a shot sometime...
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Looks awesome! I am two coats of rattlecan into a hood refinish I've been meaning to get to.
I'm only doing the center 1/3 and the front lip (crazy right?) but I want to see how close I can get it to the original color/shine and will have an easy way to compare and some easy lines to tape on.
Right now there's not much shine to be seen, but the shade is correct when viewed from above (no reflections on hood).
If I continue to wet sand and polish can I expect to get a good shine out of the job? I just used the duplicolor spray from Advance, but I prepped the area pretty well beforehand.
I'm only doing the center 1/3 and the front lip (crazy right?) but I want to see how close I can get it to the original color/shine and will have an easy way to compare and some easy lines to tape on.
Right now there's not much shine to be seen, but the shade is correct when viewed from above (no reflections on hood).
If I continue to wet sand and polish can I expect to get a good shine out of the job? I just used the duplicolor spray from Advance, but I prepped the area pretty well beforehand.
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I did the c-pillar vent covers with rattlecan, also the fuel filler area and touched up some sloppy spots around the trunk. The same wetsand & buff worked well with that paint as well, but that was with Rustoleum. Not sure what will happen with DupliColor...Acid House wrote:Looks awesome! I am two coats of rattlecan into a hood refinish I've been meaning to get to.
I'm only doing the center 1/3 and the front lip (crazy right?) but I want to see how close I can get it to the original color/shine and will have an easy way to compare and some easy lines to tape on.
Right now there's not much shine to be seen, but the shade is correct when viewed from above (no reflections on hood).
If I continue to wet sand and polish can I expect to get a good shine out of the job? I just used the duplicolor spray from Advance, but I prepped the area pretty well beforehand.
As for the suspension, as far as I know it's stock, but given some of the creative repairs I found elsewhere on the car and the fact that the rear seems high & feels stiff, he might have done something out of the ordinary there too. Actually, I'd like it to be a little lower and less harsh.

Re: New Paint!
so its been a few years is it still the same paint how does it look now?
Re: New Paint!
Yeah, a few years... Seven years ago; hard to believe it's been that long!foamy wrote:so its been a few years is it still the same paint how does it look now?
The paint looked great as long as it was being taken care of, but it didn't fare well with neglect, which is what started in 2013 when I went through my cancer deal. Before that, I drove it pretty regularly and took care of the finish. My middle son used it as his daily driver in his junior & senior years in high school, then he went to USMC Boot Camp in January 2013. I got my cancer diagnosis in the spring of that year, and it didn't see much use for about a year. Sitting outside, without regular waxing & care, it wasn't long before it turned to more of a matte finish. It could probably be brought back with a good buff and maybe some touch-up and a wet sand first, but I sold the car to my oldest son last year when we moved to Germany.
I last saw it in July, and he hadn't done anything with it so it still had the matte look to it.He has plans to sand it down to metal and repaint it "properly" (his word.
